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Welcome!
I'm Kate (she/her).
My exploration into food and nutrition stems from my desire to marry two passions: food and helping people feel better, physically and emotionally. I do not just give out meal plans. I help people nourish themselves so they can heal and recover from health concerns - ultimately, flourishing in their lives. My life as an expat as well as my personal and professional experience, informs my experience and approach.
My Philosophy:
Food and body are complex topics. Our bodies are our home, are us, the means of expression and being. Food sustains our bodies, and provides memories and experiences that tie us together socially and culturally. Food is a pathway to ourselves and our bodies - through taste, smell, texture, cooking, and more. We need to eat for physical health, and for overall wellbeing. We all deserve to enjoy food and all that intersects with it- culture, tradition, taste, travel, and more- while eating in a way that fits our needs.
My work is rooted in four values: nourish, heal, grow and connect. As a professional and an individual, these values keep me grounded and passionate about supporting those struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating.
These values also guide Four Roots Collective, our team of eating disorder specialists in Europe working to provide comprehensive, effective care for those struggling with food, body & movement.
My story (so far):
My experience with food and eating, just like everyone else's, is personal and complicated. As a kid, I had no interest in food or nutrition beyond just eating. Then, as I started swimming and went on to swim in college, I recognized the need to fuel for sport. And, I also realized the difficulty of doing so. The long practices and busy schedule combined with the toxic messages around food and body and my own insecurities as a sensitive soul who wanted to please people led to my own challenges with food/body. When I transitioned to life after college, I was working as a collegiate swim coach and competing internationally in triathlons. I was also living in New York City, enjoying exposure to new cuisines and flavors. After leaving NYC for upstate NY to coach at Colgate, I grew my own veggies and explored food in a more hands-on way. Through these experiences around food and by engaging in therapy and reflection, I was able to work through my own relationship with eating and body. Because my passion for eating, food and nutrition started to overtake my passion for swimming, I pivoted to a career in food and nutrition.
I wanted to understand the complexities of food and why we eat the way we do.
Since getting my Masters in Nutrition Communication and becoming a dietitian, I have had the experience of working in food services, higher education, the hospital setting, private practice and more.
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I have been honored to engage in wonderful work experiences the last 10 years, especially:
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Providing clinical nutrition therapy to a wide range of clients from those with chronic health conditions, to folks undergoing lung transplant, to athletes running marathons to pregnant women struggling with symptoms of pregnancy.
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Engaging in menu and recipe writing for university food services serving 23,000 meals per day.
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Developing Eating Disorder Prevention programming for higher education, and co-leading creation of Guidelines for Students Struggling with Eating, Exercise and Body image Concerns at Boston College.
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With a therapist in counseling services at Boston College, leading a group for students struggling with bulimia and binge eating that resulted in reduced severity of attendees.
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Co-developing and teaching curriculum to college students focused on radical self care and Intuitive Eating aimed at eating disorder risk reduction.
This varied experience leads me to bring perspective to nutrition therapy. In addition to assessing the nutritional needs of clients, I consider the healing aspects of food - cooking, eating with others, tradition, culture, and more. I enjoy helping people gain a sense of adventure and ease with food, as they also meet their needs.
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I care about being an authentic human who approaches nutrition therapy with humor, compassion, and caring firmness. The therapeutic relationship is a driver of change, and it is an honor to hear client's stories and witness their growth.
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Some other stuff about me:
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I love to learn, travel, and meet people.
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Currently, my family and I live in southwest Germany, exploring new cultures, culinary tastes, languages, and lifestyle.
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I return to Massachusetts yearly and try to see clients in person while there.
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I have a daughter who is 4.
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Cooking is a de-stressor for me, and sometimes also feels like a chore.
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My favorite food is (really good) bread and butter.
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The best childhood memory I have of food is eating ice cream in the summer. My favorite flavor is coffee oreo.
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I enjoy swimming, music, hiking, reading and jigsaw puzzles.
Kristen Bryk (she/her)
Since I can remember, I have loved everything about food - cooking it, eating it, taking pictures of it and the understanding what it does in our bodies. This passion led me to complete my bachelor's degree in the accredited Nutrition & Dietetics program at the University of Pittsburgh in the US, during which time I worked in food service, with RDNs in hospitals, community health centers and a metabolic and weight loss clinic.
After completing my studies in 2018, I moved to Cologne, Germany for what I thought would be a year of traveling through Europe. However, one year quickly turned into seven as I began to establish my life in Europe. I worked in a digital marketing agency for 4 years, gathering loads of skills and insights into international business and digitization in a variety of fields. My love of food and nutrition brought me to Amsterdam in 2023, where I completed my master's in Nutrition Science at the Vrije Universiteit.
I now work full-time as an Ernährungsberaterin in Cologne and love working with Kate to support clients around the world.
